


Flights in Starlight

by Tshilaba



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Gen, General tomfoolery, Slow Build, Upcoming Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-04-17 03:04:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4649844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tshilaba/pseuds/Tshilaba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Happiness can be found even in darkness, for even the stars light the night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The night was young. There were a few people ambling about the bar, but there would soon be the nightly influx. It was calm and quiet now, at least on the surface. It was a weeknight, so it probably wouldn't get too out of hand.

She hated it.

The raven haired woman groaned, elbows propped on the bar. "Why am I here, Henry?" she said. "It's my night off."

Henry laughed and shook his white hair from his eyes. He was in dire need of a haircut, but he was very picky about who touched his hair; the last she'd heard his stylist was ill. "I told you, Tharja," he said, wiping a glass down with a rag. "There's someone coming that I'd like you to meet."

Tharja rolled her eyes, propping her cheek against the heel of her palm. He knew she didn't like meeting new people. You were expected to be nice and normal, and she hated it. Drunks she could deal with. Either get the bouncer or throw them out herself. That, and her natural ability at mixing drinks, was the main reason Gangrel had managed to convince Validar to hire her. She took shit from no one.

On the flip side, however, she had a generally short fuse which meant most people thought of her as a bitch and rarely tried to get to know her.

"I could be sleeping now."

"Don't act like you were busy. If I didn't call you to come, you'd be in your underwear on your couch, crying your eyes out over a Miyazaki movie with a tub of ice cream."

"Fuck you," she shot back, but her ears burned at the accuracy. Henry was one of the few people that knew her that well.

"There they are," he said as the door opened.

She looked over her shoulder. It was a group of young women, one with bright red hair who immediately bounded off to sit with Gaius. That must have been his girlfriend. The sugar addict adamantly denied a relationship, but he always got dreamy when he spoke of her. The other two women were coming over to the bar; one looked taller than her, probably about Henry's height, with long dark blue hair that reached down to her hips. She was wearing an aqua tunic over a pair of tan capris. The other woman was shorter, closer to Tharja's own height, with short, wavy brown hair that framed her face. Her outfit was more relaxed, but something about her...

"I have to go to the restroom," Tharja said immediately, getting up and walking away from the bar before Henry grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"No you don't. Stop being a dweeb and meet new people."

She sighed and sat down. "They're not going to like me anyway," she muttered under her breath.

Henry pointedly ignored her, turning to the other women and saying, "What can I get you ladies tonight?"

"A Long Island for me," the blue haired woman replied.

"Designated driver tonight, Lu?"

"Not really, just feel like starting small."

Henry nodded. "And you, Robin?" he asked as he pulled a glass out to fix the first drink.

"Daiquiri, please."

Tharja's eyebrow rose in curiosity. They were sitting only a few seats away from her, but she'd been trying not to stare. The brunette most certainly did not look like that type of person though.

"Daiquiri it is," Henry replied. He passed the tea to the other woman and then said, "Ladies, this is my friend, Tharja. Don't mind the vampire look. She's a huge dork."

Tharja sent him a scandalized look.

"Oh, hi, Tharja. I'm Lucina." The blue haired woman waved.

Tharja nodded.

"And I'm Robin," the brunette said as she took the daiquiri from Henry. "I'm friends with Chrom."

"That's my father," Lucina said, sipping her tea.

Tharja couldn't help her confusion, and Robin laughed quietly.

"We're about seventeen years apart," she explained.

Lucina laughed, brushing her bangs from her eyes. "It's not as crazy as she makes it seem. I was...what do you call it? A high school baby?" She gave a dorkish grin and shrugged. "But who can help horny teenagers, right?"

"So basically the condom broke."

"Don't you have _any_ tact?" Henry said in exasperation.

Lucina waved him off. "I don't mind. It's basically the truth."

Robin snorted into her drink, causing them to look at her as if she'd grown a second head. "What? You only exist coz Chrom broke the condom. It's funny!"

Lucina just smiled and shook her head, turning back to her drink.

Maybe this wouldn't end badly after all...


	2. Chapter 2

She rocked the glass around its base, ignoring the glare Henry kept sending her. In the past few hours, she'd already spilled two drinks. He'd told her if she spilled another he was kicking her out under the assumption she was "too drunk to function". She'd simply stuck her tongue out at him. He knew she wasn't drunk, he was just pissy.

Robin was going on about something she'd read about recently, waving her arms about animatedly as Lucina kept catching her drink and setting it down again.

They'd moved to a booth a few seats away from where Gaius had been, though he and the redhead, who she'd been informed was Anna, had disappeared about half an hour before. Tharja almost laughed at the possibility that Henry would have _that_ sort of mess to clean.

Maybe that was why he was so pissy.

Robin wasn't a loud drunk by any means, but she was certainly an excitable one.

"Oh my God! So let me tell you what Miriel did the other day!"

Miriel, Tharja had learned, was sort of like a real life version of Sheldon Cooper. Always focused on her work.

She sighed and took a drink of her ouzo. Robin had tried some, but immediately said she didn't need it if she expected to make it home.

Tharja found herself grateful Robin hadn't tried it with someone else. They didn't know each other well, but Tharja's only interest was to have a good night. That rarely involved sex for her.

Robin paused suddenly and seemed to stare into space for a moment.

Lucina glanced up from her bourbon. "You okay?"

Robin nodded. "Yeah, my head just hurt a bit for a moment. But anyway."

Tharja was surprised she hadn't lost focus yet. She might not have known what the woman was going on about, but...she found she _really_ liked the sound of her voice.

Lucina glanced at her phone. "Shit. It's almost one. We need to go."

"Aw, Lu, really?"

"You know you promised Aunt Emm you'd help her tomorrow."

"Yeah, that's right. Okay. It was nice meeting you, Tharja."

"Likewise."

"Well...Henry's got my number if you wanna talk." With a small wave, she let Lucina drag her out.

Tharja sighed and got up, gathering the empty glasses and walking to the bar.

"That side of the white line," Henry said, his back to her as he fixed a drink. "You know the rules."

"Yeah, yeah." She plinked the glasses down before all but collapsing onto the stool. She folded her arms in front of her on the bar and put her head on them.

Henry slid the drink down to the customer before picking up the glasses. "If you're that drunk, I'll call you a taxi in a minute."

"...I'm not drunk," she muttered.

"Look at me." When she did, he clucked his tongue. "I guess you're not."

"Told you."

"So what's the deal?"

She sighed and let her face fall back onto her arms. "I don't wanna talk about it..."

"Fine, go sit in the corner booth and sleep it off. I'm on the clock until closing."

"Yeah, okay." Sleep did sound good. "Throw me my bag." He did and she caught it, turning before she stopped. "Hey...Henry?"

"What?"

She wanted to ask for Robin's number. But that was stupid. The woman only liked her because she'd been drunk most of the conversation.

"Never mind."

He was silent for a few seconds, washing the glasses. "I'll come get you when I'm ready to leave."

"Okay."

-

"Hey! Wake up, you dork!"

"Huh?" She could feel something thwocking her forehead. Henry. She didn't have to open her eyes to know that.

"Unless you wanna spend the night here, get in the car."

"Yeah, okay," she said, putting her iPod in her bag and slipping it over her shoulder.

"Give me your phone."

"What?"

"Just give it." When she handed him the phone, he input a number and said "I know you're gonna be a baby and be too scared to ask, so here." He shoved the phone back into her hand and walked off, leaving her to scramble after him.

"But... But..."

"No buts. Did Aphrodite wimp out of talking to who she wanted to bang?"

She frowned. "Two things."

"What?" he asked as they got into his car.

"Aphrodite banged whoever the hell she wanted because everyone liked her."

"People would like you if you talked to them."

"Yeah, haha. Very funny."

"And two?"

"I don't want to bang Robin," she muttered, glaring out the window.

"Oh, that's a first," Henry said as he put the keys in the ignition and cranked the car. "Is lil Tharja crushing?" He backed out of the parking spot.

"Shut up," she growled.

"That's so cute. I don't think you've ever wanted someone for more than sex."

"I said shut _up_ ," she said again, punching him in the arm.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm only messing with you. Chill."

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring out the window again.

He let her sulk until he pulled up in her driveway. "Hey, lighten up."

"Fuck you," she answered, flipping him off as she climbed out of the car. "I'm deleting the number."

He rolled his eyes and waited until she got inside the house before driving off.

-

Tharja threw her bag onto the floor next to the couch and collapsed onto the couch with a groan.

Why did he always have to do that? Sure they'd been friends since middle school, but that didn't give him the right to...to...

She screamed her frustration into the pillow.

-

She opened her eyes to bright rays of light snaking through the curtains. "...must have fallen asleep," she muttered, sitting up and running an eye with the heel of her palm. "Where's my phone?" she mumbled, moving to sleepily dig through her bag. Not there. Where _was_ the damn thing? She got up and walked to the hall.

There it was on the table.

She grabbed it and turned the screen on.

Dead. Of course.

She rolled her eyes with a huff and walked to the kitchen, plugging it in and setting coffee on to brew.

"2:37. Fuck me," she muttered when she saw the time.

She had an essay due by six. It was done, but she had intended to have at least nine hours to read over it. Now she had about a third of that.

"Fuck you, Henry," she spat to her empty house.

How the hell was she supposed to get a degree when her supposed friend kept interfering?

She sighed as the anger seeped out of her like the coffee seeping into the pot. Henry didn't deserve that. Besides, she was thirty six. Why the fuck was she sulking like a toddler? She picked up her phone and turned it on. 20%. Well, at least she didn't have to go anywhere today. She set it back on the counter and walked back to the living room.

She'd just sat down and pulled her laptop onto her lap from its place on the coffee table and opened it when her phone literally blew up.

Okay, perhaps it didn't _literally_ blow up.

It may as well have, with the sound it made as the texts flooded in.

"Fuck everything," she grumbled. She set her laptop back on the table as Henry's ringtone went off for the twentieth time. She snatched up her phone up and answered the call. "What."

"Good, you're alive."

She rolled her eyes. "I have an essay due in three hours, Henry. I wanted to be done before now. But thanks to you, my sleep schedule got fucked to hell."

"Check your texts."

She sighed, turning the speaker phone on and flicking through her messages. Her jaw dropped as she saw the contact. "You...you gave her my number?" Her voice was squeaking and she hated it, but for once Henry didn't seem to notice.

"She asked for it. Read the message."

She swallowed nervously and opened the text.

_Hey, Robin here! Just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed drinking with you last night. I wouldn't mind hanging out again, if I didn't bother you or anything._

"I told you you just have to be patient. This is why--"

She stopped listening when she saw the timestamp.

2:13pm.

She accidentally ended the call as she hastily pulled up a text box to answer her. Henry could be mad if he wanted to. She had to do this while she still had the courage.

_Of course you didn't bother me. I'd love to hang out again._

There. It was sent. She couldn't back out of it now.

"Why the hell did you hang up?"

She screamed and nearly dropped her phone, whirling around to see Henry laughing at her reaction.

"Oh god...the look on your face!" he laughed. "You looked like there was a killer behind you!"

"Ass," she muttered.


	3. Chapter 3

Tharja sighed and leaned her head back against the arm of the couch. She'd sent her essay in; it wasn't as perfect as she would have liked, but she'd just have to live with it.

“What do you want to eat?”

“I'm not hungry, Henry,” she replied.

“I didn't ask if you were,” he returned evenly.

“When have I ever eaten when I wasn't hungry?”

“You should eat.”

She kicked his hip lightly. She wasn't in the mood to be lectured about her health.

“Have you heard from Robin since earlier?”

“Nope.” She pulled her iPod out of her bag and popped her earbuds in. “If you're that determined for me to eat something, just make it. I don't fucking care what it is,” she said, flicking through her playlist.

“Alright.” He got up and disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes.

She flicked to “Kiss Me Thru the Phone” and closed her eyes, humming quietly.

“Thinking of Robin?”

“Did you forget what happened the last time I punched you in the dick?” she said, opening her eyes.

Henry sighed. “Why are you in such a foul mood?”

“Because I'm tired and the reason for it is pestering me to eat when I'm not hungry. I'm already a fucking 32DD, I don't need to get fat.”

“You get fat? Tharja, it would take more than a couple extra meals a day to make you fat,” Henry sighed. “Here. I scrambled you some eggs.” He set the plate down on the coffee table. “At least eat a little, okay? You're actually less grouchy when you've eaten.”

She groaned, setting her iPod down and picking up the plate. “I wish you'd leave me alone sometimes,” she grumbled, taking a bite. She didn't, really. In fact, he was probably her closest friend. She was just complete crap at treating him like one and always wondered why he stuck around. “Are you a masochist or something?”

He laughed. “Maybe. Dunno, since we haven't actually tried that yet. But someone's gotta stick around to keep you from turning into a hermit. I mean, really. You're thirty-six, and you do online classes like an anti-social teenager.”

“Shut up.”

“Sorry.”

He was quiet for a time, and she poked at her eggs in silence. She finished them without another word before setting the plate and fork down on the table and leaning against him with a sigh. “No, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't treat you like shit.”

“Sometimes I do deserve it.”

She laughed. “We really are a pair, aren't we?”

“I guess so.”

She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. “I'm really nervous, Henry,” she admitted. “You stick around no matter how much I treat you like shit. And while I know it's wrong, I can't say I don't appreciate it. But...”

“Seriously, Tharja, just be yourself,” Henry said. “Okay, maybe not the bitchy “everyone is a stupid jackass and I hate them all” you. But this dorky, somewhat insecure side is all right.”

“Henry...” She hated that it came out as a whine. “I don't want to look like an idiot.”

“If she thought that, do you really think she'd want to hang out again?”

“I guess not...”

“Just try not to worry so much, okay?”

“Fine.” She glanced over at him. “You could help me get rid of this stress.”

“I can do that, yes.”

* * *

She sighed softly to herself.

Lucina hadn't come that time, something about needing to help her mother, Maribelle, with something, and Tharja couldn't help but feel even more awkward. At least with the younger woman there she could feel it was more of a girl's day out amongst...well, they weren't exactly “friends” yet, but anyway. With just Robin it felt a little too personal for Tharja's taste. It wasn't that she didn't want to get to know her, but without any sort of fallback, she couldn't see the day ending well at all. She'd probably screw up before noon.

They walked through the aisles of the bookstore as Robin looked for something that she “couldn't remember exactly what it looked like” and Tharja had to sigh inwardly. If this was just an attempt at making her walk around...it was extremely successful. She hated the fact that she enjoyed this woman's company so much that she was willing to do little more than walk around with her.

“Oh, I guess it's not here anymore. Sorry about that,” Robin said, grinning sheepishly.

“It's okay.” She checked the time on her phone. “Why don't we grab some lunch and head out?” she suggested. “It's almost two.”

“All right.”

* * *

“So, how did it go?”

“I don't think I can hang out with her anymore.”

Henry frowned, bite of casserole halfway to his mouth; he set the fork down on the side of his plate. “Meaning?”

“What other meaning is there? I can't hang out with her.”

“And why the hell not?”

“Because...she...I...fuck. I like her, okay? But she's not you.”

“Yeah, and?”

She groaned and put her face in her hands. “Sometimes I hate how dense guys are...”

“Tharja, you need to explain what's going through your head because I'm not a fucking mind reader.”

She sighed. “Henry, I don't exactly have the best track record with relationships. Ever since Mom died, I...” Her voice stuck in her throat and she could feel the tears stinging her eyes; she swallowed hard and tried to continue. “I can't really keep people from hating me. There's always something I do that drives them away. Even when I'm just trying to be myself.”

He got up from the table and walked out of the room.

She stared after him in confusion. “Henry?”

He brought back a book, which turned out to be _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_ , and turned to a page. “What does that say?” he asked, pointing to a particular line.

“Uh... 'Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.'? But what does that have to do with anything?”

“How can you be happy if you just sit and mope in the darkness? Even if you don't have a flashlight, there are stars in the night sky. Seek out a light, Tharja. Choose happiness. Because I hate seeing you like this. It makes me think you're getting depressed like you were almost twenty years ago when your parents died.”

She sighed quietly. “Okay,” she said after a moment.

“What?”

“Okay. I'll choose happiness. I'll try to at least be friends with her. I don't need anymore than that.”

He nodded and ruffled her hair, ignoring the half-heartedly disgruntled look she sent him for it.

* * *

Was happiness supposed to be this painful? She sighed and collapsed onto her bed after her shower, not even caring that her hair was still more than a little damp. _I know I told Henry I'd try, but... I'm starting to wonder if it's more painful to have to hold myself back..._ She didn't want to weird the other woman out, but she knew she had a bad habit of coming across as trying to hit on people she just wanted to talk to. She'd never been into romance in and of itself, preferring to just satisfy her libido with sex and not get ensnared in the tangles of emotional attachment.

But she'd never wanted that emotional attachment instead of sex, either.

She groaned into her pillow. Why did her life have to be so goddamn complicated? She felt a hand on her head and looked up to see Henry sitting next to her, stroking her hair. “I don't think I can do this,” she mumbled. “It hurts too much.”

“I thought you said it was enough to be friends?” There was no judgment or criticism in his voice, she noticed, but it still stung a bit.

“I thought it was. But trying to be friends with her and knowing I want something I can't have... I've been attracted to plenty of girls, but only so far as wanting to get off. But it's different with her. I really think I'm falling in love, Henry. And I'm terrified. Absolutely _terrified_.”

“It's okay,” he said, still stroking her hair comfortingly. “It's all okay.”

She whimpered and curled around him, putting her head in his lap as she wound her arms around his waist and buried her face into his stomach.

They were normally never that intimate, usually only using each other to get off when they needed it, but in that moment she needed to feel him close to her more than anything as the tears welled up and spilled out of her despite her best efforts.


End file.
